Do you use a smartphone and/or a tablet and/or a laptop- often at the same time? Do you hate typing on a smartphone keyboard (iOS/Android/Windows- they are all the same)? Do you find that there is nothing quite as good as typing on a regular full size keyboard? Then I have just the right recommendation for you.This review was never meant to exist. I was compelled to write a small post after a product I had hunted for a while finally landed at my doorstep. Presenting to you, my short and sweet review of the Logitech K480.
Why K480?Bluetooth keyboards are not new. They have been around for a while. For my specific use case, Logitech has its own products, the K810 for Windows and smart devices (iPhones, iPads etc) and the K811 (Mac, iPhone, iPad). Both of these keyboards are compact, thin, pretty sleek and come with the same three simultaneous device pairing capability. They also have a backlit option and can be charged via USB which makes it convenient. But here is why I waited for the K480.
- It has a place holder for your phone and tablet. This is pretty cool as you can see in the media gallery.
- It is truly multiplatform- Windows and Mac along with Android and iOS devices. The K810 supports Windows but no Mac and the K811 only supports Mac. They both support iOS and Android mobile devices but I need true multi-platform.
- It is cheaper (at $49 on Amazon) and a full size keyboard not unlike the ones I am used to.
Setup and UseSetup was a breeze across the 6 types of devices I tried it on. I have a couple of Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 tablets (one at work and one at home), an iPad at home, an iPhone 6, a Kindle Fire Phone, a Macbook Air at home and a Macbook Pro at work. My home setup was the Fire HDX tablet, iPhone 6 and Macbook Air. My work setup was either the Fire phone or iPhone 6, Fire HDX tablet and a Macbook Air. At any point of time, you can have three devices paired and switchable with the K480.[gallery ids="1736,1738,1739,1740,1741,1737,1734,1733"]Setup is as simple as selecting one of the three knobs to associate with the said device and long pressing a button on the keyboard- there is one button for Android, PC/Windows and another for iOS/MacOS. Based on the type of device, you long press and a blinking blue light indicates that you are trying to pair. The keyboard comes up as a Logitech Keyboard on the phone, laptop or tablet and voila, it is paired. As simple as that. Once the one, two or three devices are paired, you are good to go- type away and as you want to switch, just twist the knob to select device 1, 2 or 3. Done.There are some generic keys to make life easier on the keyboard - a home button, a back button and volume controls. In my test, they worked on all platforms - iOS, MacOS X and Android. There are other buttons which are specific to the type of device it is paired. There are function keys that dont really do anything on tablets and phones but work only on laptops and so on.The keys are made of plastic and there is some amount of sound it generates. But that is no different than any other keyboard. Unless you are using a mechanical keyboard, your experience will be similar to the generic Dell or Microsoft or Logitech keyboards you are currently using.
What do I miss?If Logitech offered me an option to get a trackpad on the keyboard for an additional $10 or so, I would take it. Even the higher priced K810 and K811 dont offer a track pad. While this is not an inconvenience working with tablets and phones which are only a finger away, it is pain on the laptop. I needed to use a bluetooth mouse for the laptops.The K480 is not a rechargeable- it has two AAA batteries which are expected to last a few months but nevertheless need to be changed. The pricier K810 and K811 are USB rechargeable which is nice. I don't care much for the backlight because I plan on using the keyboard at work and lighting is quite fine there.
In ConclusionIt has only been 24 hours since I bought the
K480 but it has already proved its worth to me. If you have a similar use case like me, I definitely recommend the
K480. One note- Amazon lists it as a 1-2 month ship time. That is because the product has just started shipping. I ordered it a couple of weeks ago and it arrived yesterday. Happy typing!
